A Three Day Event Read Online Free PDF

introducing herself. Hy took the note, but waited to hear Thea speak before opening it.
    Thea’s voice, low, vibrant and suffused with the promise of a passion that didn’t touch her public face, fell hypnotically on Hy’s ears. She was explaining the ‘critical path’ she meant to follow as project manager. She described the computer programs she had devised to accommodate the complex scoring patterns for all three disciplines of Dressage, Jumper and Three–Day Eventing, the most complicated system of all. All entrants’ names, colour–coded in their disciplines, would have their scores, logistical accommodations and billing progressions embedded in the same programs. It was a genial scheme. Thea was famous for her organization, as Hy now learned from the appreciative comments around him. Denise laughingly called her our “computer goddess”, and Roch joked about women who make men feel even stupider than usual.
    When Bill Sutherland began to speak about regulatory constraints, Hy opened the note. Roch’s English was only functional, but his modest vocabulary and imperfect grasp of the language’s syntax had never been an impediment to him. He was a communicator, gregarious and rich in the confidence of a boy raised in the bosom of a large, close–knit family with many adoring and indulgent older sisters.
    The note read, “ I know that what Marion said, her, thats piss you off. Me too. Don’t listen to that shit. I been to these meetings 1000 times. They just talk. Let that they talk. You and me, were the ones whose going to do the work, and we do what the fuck we want. Believe me you, don’t get mad. Ce n’est pas la peine. p.s. she is not crazy for pepsis non plus… ”
    Hy grinned down the table at Roch who winked back. Roch’s cornflower blue eyes, ruddy skin and cheeky smile lent his face a boyish charm that even increasing baldness and a small but evident paunch did nothing to diminish. Men and women alike were drawn to his energy and joie de vivre .
    Hy had learned very quickly after buying Le Centre that Roch was its heart and soul. The lively, dynamic atmosphere there was a direct reflection of Roch’s passion for the stable and its resources, and his total commitment to a life in horse and rider training. Hy calmed down and determined to take Roch’s advice. Like many successful businessmen, he had learned to trust the instincts of whoever loved what they did and had the most experience at it. Roch had been putting on successful horse shows for 25 years. He hated committees and loved to work. Hy would go with his judgment.
    “…and it was only early this morning that Mr. Cosgrove from the bank gave me word that they had finalized their decision. I can tell you that this publicity came very close to provoking a cancellation of their role in the show. I needn’t remind you that without their $150,000, almost half our budget, the show could not go forward.
    “And so their public relations department has struck a deal with this journalist, this–er–Miss Parker, to produce a positive documentary about young athletes in the sport. It appears that Miss Parker is a rather precocious and–er–spirited graduating student in the Communications/Journalism program at Ryerson Polytechnic University in Toronto.
    “Apparently she is delighted at the opportunity to be involved in such a project and understands the… mandate, so to speak, of the Bank. So she will be coming down for a week in May on the site to do preliminary interviews, with many of you, no doubt, as the principals, and she will use these interviews–edited–as voice–overs for the show, which will be filmed as it happens. I hope I have made it clear that this is a non–negotiable clause of our sponsorship, and your cooperation with Miss Parker is–shall we say– assumed , as it were.”
    Silence reigned for a moment. Marion gazed off into the middle distance, and the agenda continued to unfold. Public relations would be handled